(ARCHIVE) Escrocs
NOTE: This Archetype is Pre-Reset, and is no longer in the game. Escrocs are an archetype of mainly DARK Psychic-Types (all are Psychic-Type except Diamant) that rely on lightning-fast speed and searching power. Prior to the Limitation of Escroc le Peintre, Escrocs had a 100% consistent FTK involving Special Summoning 2 copies of Diamant and Peintre, then Synchro Summoning them for Escroc le Magnifique and Escroc L'Empereur. Then you would summon Escroc Module de Finition from the deck and attack directly for over 9000 damage. Even if your opponent has a set monster they can still perform the FTK due to the attack-boosting effects that Escrocs have on Escrocs you control when in the Graveyard. Design And Heritage Escroc is French for "Rogue". Originally designed to be a counter-measure to Insert_Name_Here's Plague archetype due to their resistance to milling, their creator, Alfred-Kun (who also wrote this article) unintentionally discovered a super-consistent FTK that resisted errata changes LeoMence and Seattleite made before the Summer Cup 2010 Tournament. The FTK was arguably the most powerful deck in the CCG during the short time it was the top meta deck due to it's astounding speed and back-up measures. Had the creator Alfred-Kun not left for a two-week holiday the day after he beat LeoMence in the first round he surely would have won the tournament. All Escroc cards have French names, for example, Escroc le Diamant means "Diamond, the Rogue", Escroc le Peintre means "Painter, the Rogue". All card pictures were taken from Custom Image Archives on the Yugioh Card Maker Forums. The creator was inspired by the card "Destiny Hero - Diamond Dude" when he first designed Escroc le Diamant, the archetype's flagship card. All Escroc cards, the Escroc FTK, and the Escrocs.dek match-winning deck were designed by Alfred-Kun of YCM. LeoMence was the first playtester. Escroc FTK And The New Escroc FTK (Advanced Format) The original Escroc FTK was killed off following the limitation of Peintre in the September 2010 Ban-List, though a slightly less consistent version still means that Escrocs are Tier 1. The Original Escroc FTK requires: Escroc le Diamant x3 (x1 for back-up) Escroc le Peintre x3 (x1 for back-up) Escroc le Magnifique x1 Escroc L'Empereur x1 Escroc Module de Finition x1 Using Diamant's effect, Special Summon it and add Peintre to your hand. Peintre is special summoned due to it's effect. Synchro Summon Diamant and Peintre for Escroc le Magnifique. Repeat the same combo to Synchro Summon L'Empereur. Special Summon Escroc Module de Finition from the deck and attack directly for game. The New Escroc FTK requires: Escroc le Diamant x1 Escroc le Peintre x1 Escroc le Magnifique x1 Escroc le Module de Finition x1 Refueling x1 Perform the Diamant + Peintre combo (make sure to discard at least 1 monster from your hand when activated Peintre's effect) and summon Magnifique. Activate Refueling to return Diamant, Peintre and the monster you discarded to the deck. Shuffle the deck and draw 2 cards. Perform the Diamant + Peintre combo again to summon L'Empereur. Summon Finition and attack for game. Escrocs.dek Decklist (Advanced Format legal!) Monsters (19): 3x Escroc le Diamant 3x Escroc le Fleur 3x Escroc le Propulseur 3x Escroc le Gantelet 3x Escroc Module de Finition 3x Gladiator Eagle 1x Escroc le Peintre Spells (17): 3x Refueling 3x Mind Utopia 3x See the Future 3x Fission Blast 2x Gentleman's Duel 1x Infected Bite 1x Last Gasp Blast 1x Curiosity Traps (4): 2x Force Breaker 1x Quelle Surprise! 1x My Shield as a Body Extra Deck (6): 3x Escroc le Magnifique 3x Escroc L'Empereur Strengths Escrocs are lightning quick, easy to play and before the limitation of Peintre undefeatable. Before Peintre was Limited Escrocs had a back-up Diamant + Peintre combo waiting ready in the deck should either of the Synchros be destroyed and even if they got field nuked Refueling would salvage all the cards they needed. They are surprisingly consistent and even following the September Ban List can overpower most decks. Due to Refueling, even if the FTK should be dismantled they can grab Diamant and Peintre back and attempt to get the combo going again. Weaknesses Should the FTK be dismantled, Escrocs have no back-up measures other than Refueling. They have little standalone power other than the infamous FTK combo so are ideal for merging with other decks. Escrocs also lack any way to retrieve Peintre should it be removed from play and would be forced to use something like Gantelet or Propulseur as a back-up. Even with Gantelet and Propulseur as emergency back-ups Escrocs will really suffer from having the FTK dismantled and find it hard to get back on their feet. Should Peintre be removed from play Escrocs will be absolutely crippled.